Iloilo City and Guimaras Island, Philippines

Shacking it up in a tree house for two nights at a mountain resort.

Starting the 30's Out Right - on the famous beaches of Boracay, Philippines

In April, I made my 3rd return trip to Siem Reap in 5 nonths. It’s the charm. It’s the expat community. It’s the unique art scene. I’m seriously thinking of deferring from graduate school to stay an additional year to work for Senhoa (pending registration). Things are still up in the air regarding this decision; I will have a better idea in the next couple of months. It was in April that I learned that bravery  doesn’t come without consequences and that I rather endure another Mongolian winter than suffer through a year under the Cambodian sun. I also turned 30, celebrating it with one of my dear friends on the island of Boracay, Philippines. I spent the day eating Mexican food, sailing, snorkeling, singing with live bands, and walking barefoot on the beach in the dark. It was wonderful. The rest of April, I will be island hopping around the Philippines (Iloilo City, Guimaras Island, Cebu City, Bohol and Siquijor Island) before heading back to Manila in May, then Binh Duong for my cousin’s wedding, and back to Siem Reap to officially start working for Senhoa (formerly VOICE) from May-July. 

Halong Bay and Cat Bat Island, Vietnam

Halong Bay, THE natural wonder of Vietnam: 3000 islands & limestone islets rising out of the Gulf of Tonkin. " Halong" translates to "where the dragon descends into the sea." Pictures are of Hai Duong province,  Halong Bay (on the Cristina boat), Hang Sung Sot cave, kayaking around Luon cave & a floating village (one of 9), Catba National Park (hike to peak), and Monkey Island.

Sapa, Vietnam

Highlands of Sapa: an area 200km away from the Chinese boarder. The scenery surrounding Sapa includes the infamous cascading rice terraces, Fansipan (highest peak in Vietnam & Indochina) cloaked in mist, and the hill tribe minorities of the Black H'mong and Red Dzao people who hike 5-7 hours into town to sell & trade handmade goods. I did a day trek to Cat Cat & Sin Chai villages, & a 2 day-1 night homestay through Y Ling Ho, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Ban Ho villages & Giang Ta Chai waterfall.

Hue, Vietnam

Hue, former imperial capital of Vietnam: remains of the Citadel from French forces in 1885 & Tet Offensive in 1968, Tu Dam Pagoda, & tombs of Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945). The Citadel: Flag Tower, Imperial Enclosure, Nine Holy Cannons, Nine Dynastic Urns, Forbidden Purple City, & Tinh Tam Lake. Tu Dam Pagoda was the center of Buddhist anti-Diem & anti war movements during the 1960's. The Nguyen tombs are extravagant mausoleums consisting of 5 parts: pavilion, temple, sepulchre, courtyard, & pond.

Hoi An, Vietnam

The beauty of Hoi An. The lantern lit streets at night. The lure of the tailors and shoe cobblers. The My Son Ruins. The Frenchmen roaming around. I stayed far too long.

China Beach (Danang), Vietnam

China Beach at Hoa's Place; 20 feet the deserted Vietnam-War-made-famous China Beach. The family style dinners. I'll miss that place. The magic of Marble Mountains. I'll be back. Promise.

The Vietnam Coastline Trip Started in Nha Trang, Vietnam

March marked the much anticipated coastline trip from Saigon-Hanoi, Vietnam. I’ve wanted to take this solo trip since I was sixteen. From Saigon, I traveled up the coast to: Nha Trang, China Beach near Danang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Sapa, and Halong Bay and Cat Bat Island. Vietnam is the most consistently beautiful country I have ever traveled through and it has everything a traveler could want. Some highlights: custom made shoes, jackets, and evening gowns in Hoi at unbelievable prices, purchasing cultured sea water peals for dirt cheap in Nha Trang, eating ten kinds of mussels and clams in one sitting, all you can drink beers at my hostel in Hue, spraining my ankle during a 3 day hike in the rain in the highlands of Sapa, walking through a cave the size of 3 football fields in Halong Bay, and getting a permanent reminder of Vietnam (motorcycle burn). March was also when I received all three UK graduate universities’
acceptances that I applied to; all in international development masters programs. That was news enough to get my mother to sustain from her “you need to get married” speech for another year. However, I am still waiting to hear back from the Swedish universities; I haven’t given up on marrying into a free healthcare and education system.

TET 2010 in Binh Duong, Vietnam

By February, I made a quick stop back in Siem Reap, Cambodia (from the southern end of Laos) before heading to Binh Duong, Vietnam to celebrate TET (Lunar New Year) with my mother’s family. What was a planned two-week stay turned out to be a four-week stay. I eventually had to leave because I gained ten pounds from eating 4-5 meals a day; I was being mercilessly overfed. For most of my life, I had only known half of where I came from; now knowing the other half, makes me feel whole, not so different and accepted for who I am as opposed to what I should be.

A Month in Laos

By January, after a drama-filled two months, I hopped the Thai-Laos border for some much needed relaxation. Visited to Luang Prabang, Vang Viene, Pakse and Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands). But before I could turn off my cell phone and bid the internet farewell, I spent four consecutive days in Chiang Rai hammering out graduate school essays and applications. Never again will I apply for university while traveling aboard in developing countries with slow-no internet and no scanner.  For this, I owe the dedication of my master thesis to my best friend. Laos was beautiful: caving, kayaking, trekking to waterfalls, bungalow dwelling, beer Lao drinking, hammock swinging, biking, and watching sunsets and sunrises type of vacation. More Americans should visit Laos. We should join the Europeans in their idea for four-week paid vacations instead of the average two-weeks.


While I was in Laos, VOICE was allowed back into Cambodia under the condition that they spilt their refugee work (which the Cambodia and Vietnamese governments frown upon) and sex trafficking work into two separate organizations. VOICE came back as Senhoa Foundation. However, as of recent,  Senhoa is still waiting on the Ministries to approve their registration. In the meantime, programs are put on hold and funding is drying up. The board of trustees made a deadline of May 31st; after, they will pull  out of Cambodia.


Don Det, 4000 Islands, Laos





Luang Prabang, Laos

Don Det, 4000 Islands, Laos